Well, that's comforting in some way. To my mind, Germans have a knack for a craft like photography. He might actually take an interest in seeing it stay alive. They do have a reputation for the finest made equipment in the world. They seem to be able to keep their mind on their work. Or such is my impression of them.

I'm very fortunate to have access to Rockbrook Camera close by. They do proper C-41 processing in house. I can get a roll of 120 developed and scanned for $10 and 48 hour turnaround.

If push comes to shove, there are any number of good places available by mail if you don't mind adding a few days to the process.

I agree with the earlier comment that the real problem is that all the one-hour labs that served the casual market are gone. That presents something of a barrier to re-entry for people looking to get back into film. Sure, you can still drop off film at just about any drug store or grocery store, but they just send it out, resulting in a sharp decrease in convenience for consumers. It used to be part of my routine to drop off some film, shop for the week's groceries, then pick up the finished prints as I left the store. Can't do that anymore.

(But you CAN still do that at Costco...you just have to send them digital files first. They don't process film anymore either.)

I shoot digital when I have to (most of those shots end up here) and film (occasionally one of those shots ends up here) when I want to.

Worry is a natural extension of the more basic fear of the unknown that has been naturally selected into each and every one of us over the last five million years. And for very good reasons. It's a form of abstract thinking that allows for the identification and avoidance of future threats and dangers. As such, it is ultimately a mechanism to help insure survival of the species.

In this particular case, worry allows an individual to identify conditions and patterns today that may constitute a threat to the availability of certain photographic films in the future. Correct identification of such future dangers would allow for their avoidance by the mechanism of transitioning to substitute films before the current ones disappear.

Several years ago I looked at the situation and began worrying about the future availability of Kodak Plus-X film. At the time this had been my standard use film for 30 years. Worry helped identify both the danger, and the mitigating action. I switched to Ilford b&w films before that danger overtook me. And, of course, Plus-X is now extinct. Mission accomplished.

Those who worry are proactive, and very little sneaks up and bites them in the butt. Those who don't worry are reactive, and generally have butts covered with painful teeth marks. And since danger in life is ever present, I'll take the former approach over the latter any day. It makes sitting in chairs much easier.

There is only one mad individual I know of who lives life by the credo "What? Me worry?"

Ken

Ken,

I thought that people who worry too much drop dead from stress prematurely. Then they wouldn't be able to enjoy the stocked up freezers Better be careful there
I never heard of any health problems by living a stress free life and my butt is just fine, thanks for asking. See, in the end you switched films. Which would have been the same with a person who didn't worry. The result is the same by both parties.

Am I worried if Kodak drops dead, not really. I will just buy enough of their film to last me few years.
Am I worried that Neopan 400 is discontinued. Nope, I just stocked up my freezer with it.
Same with Provia 400X, E100G, E100VS and Reala 100. I'm not worried. Will I miss them once I run out, yes.
As long as Portra 400 or Pro400H and Ektar survives I will be fine one way or another with colour.

Worst case I will have to use my DSLR more often and maybe buy a bigger freezer. Am I worried about it. Nope, it will happen when it happens.

I thought that people who worry too much drop dead from stress prematurely. Then they wouldn't be able to enjoy the stocked up freezers Better be careful there
I never heard of any health problems by living a stress free life and my butt is just fine, thanks for asking. See, in the end you switched films. Which would have been the same with a person who didn't worry. The result is the same by both parties.

Am I worried if Kodak drops dead, not really. I will just buy enough of their film to last me few years.
Am I worried that Neopan 400 is discontinued. Nope, I just stocked up my freezer with it.
Same with Provia 400X, E100G, E100VS and Reala 100. I'm not worried. Will I miss them once I run out, yes.
As long as Portra 400 or Pro400H and Ektar survives I will be fine one way or another with colour.

Worst case I will have to use my DSLR more often and maybe buy a bigger freezer. Am I worried about it. Nope, it will happen when it happens.

wise person you are ..
worst comes to worst
you coat your own paper or glass or metal images ..

I thought that people who worry too much drop dead from stress prematurely...

Heh, heh... Fair enough.

But you know, it's the people who drop dead because they think they heard a sound... they KNOW they heard a sound... but it just wasn't worth it to them to turn around for a look... standing as they were on those empty railroad tracks... because what is going to happen, is just going to happen... and by the grace of God and Physics, it then certainly did... they never even needed to go toward the Light, the Light conveniently came to them...

Sometimes a little bit of that 5-million-year-old worry can be a good thing.

Ken

"When making a portrait, my approach is quite the same as when I am portraying a rock. I do not wish to impose my personality upon the sitter, but, keeping myself open to receive reactions from his own special ego, record this with nothing added: except of course when I am working professionally, when money enters in,—then for a price, I become a liar..."